Why Is Climate Security Important for Children?

Highlights

Climate change is not just an environmental crisis—it is a security crisis. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, and resource scarcity are driving instability, conflict, and displacement around the world. For children, who make up nearly one-third of the global population, the stakes could not be higher.

This discussion paper, Why is Climate Security Important for Children?, explores how climate change fuels insecurity and how these compounded risks uniquely and severely impact children. From malnutrition and disrupted education to displacement and increased exposure to violence, children are among the most vulnerable to the cascading impacts of climate insecurity. Alarmingly, two-thirds of the countries most affected by climate change also face fragility and conflict, leaving millions of children without the protection and essential services they need to survive and thrive.

Yet, children are not only victims – they are agents of change. By investing in foresight, preparedness, and child-centred solutions, the global community can help safeguard children from climate-related threats while empowering them to participate in shaping a more resilient, peaceful future.

The paper identifies four priority actions:

• Integrate responses across climate, humanitarian, and peacebuilding sectors to address compound risks.
• Ensure climate finance reaches fragile and conflict-affected settings, where children are most exposed.
• Strengthen data and evidence on children’s climate and security risks to guide better policies.
• Amplify children’s voices in climate and security decision-making processes.

Addressing climate security through a child lens is essential to safeguarding children’s rights and building more stable, resilient societies. By investing in preparedness and child-focused solutions, the global community can help protect today’s children while supporting their role as changemakers for a more secure future.